Back from Branson!

Well, we are back from Branson! Blake and I went with my parents and brother and sister-in-law (We decided Cade wasn't ready for all of the activities, yet). It was so much fun. I know that Blake really wasn't sure about the whole trip because Branson is an "older person's" town (no offense). We both really enjoyed it, though. I'm hoping that when Cade is older, we can take him there, too. This time he stayed with his Granna and Papa John, who I'm sure spoiled him like crazy ;-) but that's what grandparents are for.

We left on our trip Sunday and came back Thursday. It was an eventful week. We filled every minute almost. As my brother said, "I'll sleep when I'm dead." LOL an interesting perspective I must say...

Monday we went to Silver Dollar City, which I loved. It was ten times better than 6 flags. There are not as many "big" rides, but the entire park was covered with trees or some type of shade. We stayed from 10 AM until 7 PM (closing), and we didn't even notice that it had been that long. I definitely recommend it.

Tuesday we went to see the musical "Noah." The acting and singing were a bit cheesy, but the set design was AMAZING! After intermission, we were "inside" the ark.

Wednesday was a full day of fishing at 6 AM (I had the biggest catch-6 or 7 lb. catfish) and the Branson Belle Showboat at 8 PM with shopping in between. The Branson Belle is definitely another recommendation. The food was okay, but the show was awesome.

This was our first big vacation in about 3 years, so it felt great to go! We are so blessed to be able to go and do.

(pics to come)

New thought for blog and lately...

I've been trying to blog more often, but I always feel like I have to have some pictures to go along with it. I unfortunately can't keep up with pictures and blogging, so I'm going to just blog and add pictures when I can.

Today Cade and I hung out watching the Disney channel most of the day. He is so cute, but he is into everything right now. I'm definitely getting a workout keeping up with him. We have his playroom pretty much set up now, so I'm looking forward to using that more often. Our friend Jessica came over and hung out. She helped clean for cg too :-) How sweet! I was also able to scrapbook today while Cade took a 2 and a half hour nap!!! Wow! That's not normal for him.

What we've been doing lately...

Last week Blake went to youth camp, so Cade and I went to Mt. Pleasant with Marlo Wade and the kids. It was a nice, relaxing week, and Cade had great friends to play with. Then, on Friday, my mom and I picked up Blake from the church right after they got back from youth camp and left for our family reunion in Lawton, OK. It's my mom's dad's side of the family, and I always enjoy going. This was the first year that Blake has gone since we've been married, which was great!! Everyone also met Cade for the first time. BTW he is 8 months old now and crawling with two teeth!!!! We came back late Saturday night and early Sunday morning. The fun didn't stop there, though. The Wade's air conditioner went out! (Way too hot for that right now) Their family stayed with us Sunday night. It was like a giant slumber party. The kids definitely enjoyed it and stayed up till 11PM. Our week has finally slowed down, but we will leave for Branson next week, so we'll be packing again.

(Will post pics of everything later)

Sorry this is so long. I'll try to blog almost daily from now on to space it out :)

My 1st Mother's Day and Cade is 7 months!!

(Cade's painting)

Happy Mother's Day!!! This year was my first official Mother's Day with Cade. Last year, he was on the inside ;-) That seems like a lifetime ago. Now my baby is 7 months old. I have loved being Cade's mommy. Time has flown by, and Cade is doing more everyday. Right now he is trying to crawl. He can get onto his hands and knees, but usually ends up doing a pushup or scooting across the floor.

Blake and I could not have asked for a happier baby. Cade is constantly smiling and laughing. Don't get me wrong---he has his moments, but his overall spirit is beautiful. I am so proud to be his mother on this Mother's Day.

What's been going on lately?

It's been awhile since I have blogged. Cade has been keeping us busy. The biggest thing that happened lately: Car wreck :-( Last Saturday when the rain was pouring down, we hydroplaned and lost control. Our Envoy spun across I-30 and hit the left guardrail twice, which bounced us back across 30 to the right shoulder facing the wrong direction. Luckily, Cade wasn't with us. We had just left Malvern, Arkansas, and for some reason, I suggested he spend the night with Blake's parents in Arkansas and come back Sunday.

I worried about Cade the entire hour before the wreck. Should I have left him so far away? Was he going to be okay? Was Blake's mom going to have enough energy to keep up with him? As soon as we hit the guardrail, I was so grateful that he wasn't with us. I counted our blessings the rest of the night that he hadn't been with us. God is so great at giving us those moments.

When it was all said and done, the Envoy was totaled, and we have a Nissan Altima!

Easter 2009

Happy Easter!!! This blog is a little late, but these days it has not been easy to keep up with the blog and the family. Our first family Easter was great. Cade looked adorable, and our Easter service at cLife was great! We are looking forward to watching Cade hunt Easter eggs next year :) What an awesome time of year to celebrate Christ's resurrection!

This year I was able to talk with my 6th graders at school about Good Friday, which was awesome. They had a lot of questions about what Good Friday was for, and we were able to talk about it. They were so cute asking questions like: "Why is it called 'good' Friday?" They thought it should have been called Black Friday. It's all perspective I guess.

The best part is: Christ is risen!!! And that gives us a hope for tomorow.

6 months old: A Bittersweet Time

There is a beautiful bluebonnet patch in Forney by the flags. This is Cade Leland on his 6 month birthday. It is such a bittersweet time for me. I love that Cade is learning so many new things, but I can't believe that my baby is half a year old. Don't get me wrong. I don't miss those newborn nights, but I do miss that newborn look and those tiny baby clothes. My sweet boy, though, is sitting up now and he wants to badly to start crawling and even walking. We went to the doctor this morning and Cade weighs a whopping 19 lbs. and he is almost 28 inches long. He also got his shots, so these bluebonnet shots are a little deceiving. He actually wasn't too thrilled about taking these pictures at this point in the day. The shots had kicked in, and he was pretty fussy. At least he was a good sport for a few of the pics. CADE: Daddy and Mommy love you so much! We can't believe how quickly you are growing, and you remind us daily of God's love and blessings. Happy birthday!

Marriage retreat-Cade's first overnight stay

This past weekend Blake and I were able to go to our church's first marriage retreat. It was a great time for us to get away and just refresh. We were reminded of ways to renew our relationship, and we're actually attempting to follow through with some of the things we learned.

To go on the retreat, though, we had to leave Cade with Blake's parents overnight :( It was our first time to be without him that long, and it was, of course, much harder for me than for Blake. Luckily, my mother-in-law was nice enough to send us pictures during the weekend. The first picture she sent Friday night was Cade taking a bath in the sink. It was so cute, but it almost made me cry. He did such a great job, and we knew he would. He has his Daddy's social personality. We can't believe how old he is getting. He is sitting up now, and he gives such wonderful hugs and kisses. Blake and I feel so blessed to have him, and he adds so much to our marriage.